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Toddlers struck by fleeing motorist in Minneapolis park

MINNEAPOLIS -- Three St. Paul toddlers were struck by a motorist fleeing Minnesota State Patrol troopers through a park on Monday morning, officials say.

The children were at a playground in Bohanon Park when a black SUV driven by 27-year-old Kabaar Wahleen Powell crashed into them, according to Capt. Jason Bartell, a State Patrol spokesman.

About 9:30 a.m., a trooper had attempted to stop Powell for speeding on Interstate 94, but Powell exited the interstate at 53rd Avenue and fled on surface streets through North Minneapolis, crashing into the children a short time later, Bartell said.

Powell fled the scene of the crash on foot, but he was apprehended by a pair of state troopers, both of whom suffered minor injuries during the arrest. Investigators found a gun in Powell’s SUV, Bartell said.

Two of the children, 2-year-old Kayden Jay Peltier and 3-year-old Lillianna Lee Peltier, suffered life-threatening injuries, according to the State Patrol’s website. The injuries to the third child, 3-year-old Konnor Jace Peltier, were less serious, the State Patrol said. All three were taken to North Memorial Medical Center in Robbinsdale.